This invention relates generally to carriers for golf clubs. More particularly, this invention pertains to a combination golf club carrier/cart transportable by plane, car, common carrier and the like.
The conventional golf bag is formed of a flexible fabric, leather, or plastic sheet. The bag is unsuitable for the safe shipment of golf clubs by airplane, bus, truck, automobile or other carrier because the clubs are not adequately protected and the bag itself is prone to puncture, tearing or other damage. In addition, the typical golf bag has a non-orthorhombic shape, making it difficult to stack in a baggage compartment or automobile trunk.
The numbers and sizes of golf club heads are critical factors in determining the width and depth dimensions of a golf club container. Golfers prefer to have sufficient separation of club heads during play to enable a quick grasping and removal of a club from the container. For shipping golf clubs, however, a container of minimum size is desirable. Thus, there are two conflicting ends in view which have not been satisfactorily addressed in the prior art. Most golf club containers are excessively large and heavy, contain much wasted space, and have complex shapes with many projections.
In addition, the protection of golf clubs during shipment requires careful consideration. Damage to clubs (as well as the bag) may occur during shipment because of heavy or sharp objects which puncture or crush the bag. In addition, when the clubs rub against hard materials, lengthy periods of vibration result in frictional damage to the clubs, and more particularly, to the heads of the "woods", and to club grips and shafts. Club heads and shafts formed of graphite are particularly susceptible to such visual and structural damage.
The above indicated problems encountered in travelling with golf clubs are well known. Even the nearest golf course requires automobile travel for nearly all golfers, and many people travel long distances by airplane for the purpose of golfing.
Several forms of golf club containers and bag covers are shown in the prior art having as an end the easing of problems associated with the transportation of golf clubs.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,299 of Clark et al. discloses a wheeled golf bag with corrugated club separators. The wheels and a handle may be partially retracted into depressions in the sides of the bag; about one-half of each wheel projects from the bag. The bag has a complex non-orthorhombic shape.
A major problem with the known varieties of combination bag/cart/container is the lack of sufficient spacing between the wheels for convenient traversal of the hillsides, dips, bumps and uneven ground typical of golf courses. Narrowly spaced wheels result in instability and necessitate careful maneuvering to prevent the apparatus from tipping sideways. Widely-spaced wheels are required for stability. The incorporation of widely spaced wheels which completely collapse into the outline of a shippable club container is an unsolved problem to date.
In addition, some forms of combination containers have rollers, wheels or balls which may operate on hard flat surfaces but not on the fairways of golf courses.
Despite all of the golf bag/cart developments whose end is protection during transportation and improvement in use, the standard approach taken by the present day traveling golfer is the use of a fabric bag with an enclosing cover for club shipment, and subsequent use of a rental cart at the golf course and to which the bag is strapped. The clubs are often poorly protected in transit, the bag with shipping cover is large and bulky, and the cover requires separate storage during play.
The need exists for a traveling golf club carrier which combines in a single unit the features of a golf bag, a cart with a wide wheel carriage, and a highly protective, easily transported shipping container.